Hypnotically implanted paramnesias (false stories) designed to arouse an unacceptable aggressive impulse successfully generated psychopathology in experimental subjects who were high in neuroticism. Control subjects received a similar paramnesia that was designed to arouse an acceptable impulse. The induced psychopathology approximated that observed in a psychiatric outpatient population. Experimental subjects who directed their aggressive impulses at fictitious authority figures experienced more psychopathology than did experimental subjects who directed their impulses at an authority figure who was physically present. Experimental subjects told shorter Thematic Apperception Test stories and expressed more blatant anger and aggression in their stories than did the controls, but the two groups did not differ in terms of the amount of anger and aggression projected nor did they differ in the amount of paramnesia material projected.
Sixty male alcoholic inpatients were administered the Locus of Control scale (IE), the Activity Preference Questionnaire (APQ), the Manifest Anxiety scale (MAS), and the Tennessee Self Concept scale (TSCS). Ss defined as having an external locus of control appeared significantly more anxious than internal Ss on the MAS; however, no differences were found between groups on the APQ or TSCS scales. The self-report (MAS) and nonobtrusive (APQ) measures of anxiety were not correlated significantly. A differential pattern of correlations was found between the MAS and APQ and TCSC subscale scores. The obtained correlations support the contention that the MAS may measure more accurately a dimension of neuroticism and/or negative self-concept rather than anxiety. Further research appears necessary to investigate the internal consistency and dimensionality of the MAS.
Sumnasy.-Witkin's psychological differentiation construct and ~o~t e r ' s locus of control construct were studied independently and in interaction to assess their ability to predict psychopathology and defensive style in a sample of 160 adult, male alcoholics. As predicted, locus of control was significantly correlated with both psychopathology and defensive style and field articulation was significantly correlated with defensive style. However, the congruent and incongruent construct was not significantly related to either psychopathology or defensive style.Rotter's (13) locus of control construct and Witkin's (16) psychological differentiation construct have both been studied in relationship to defensive and psychopathological behaviors. External locus of control has been found to be associated with greater psychopathology ( 5 ) , a relationship that holds true for alcoholic populations (4). Internal and external male alcoholics also differ significantly in their defensive styles as measured by the Defense Mechanism Inventory ( 3 ) , internals tending to use avoidance-oriented and externals using approach-oriented defenses ( 11 ) . Several of the above researchers have concluded that internals have more functional defenses as measured by the L, P, and K scales of the MMPI ( 10). Psychological differentiation has also been related to defensive and psychopathological behaviors. Relative to this study, alcoholics tend to appear as more field-dependent ( 7 ) . Among normals and alcoholics, field-independent persons tend to use more sophisticated and fielddependent persons more primitive defenses ( 2 , 6).Locus of control and psychological differentiation are uncorrelated (8, 13) which suggests they could be used in combination to bolster predictive power (9). Several studies employing both constructs in interaction to form four groups suggested congruent groups (field-independent/internal locus of control; field-dependent/external locus of control) were better adjusted than incongruent groups (8,15). The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous findings by relating locus of control and psychological differentiation to measures of psychopathology and defensiveness in male alcoholic subjects. W e anticipate that ( a ) external alcoholics will evidence more psychopathology than internals, ( b ) internal alcoholics will use more avoidance-oriented and more functional defenses, ( c ) field-dependent alcoholics will evidence less sophisticated defenses
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